Sonny Smith lives in San Francisco, CA. He is a grade-A hippie. In 2010, Smith concocted a project to create 200 songs for 100 fictitious bands and invited about 100 artists to produce the artwork for the records of the fictitious artists. The project premiered at Gallery 16. This sounds like an insurmountable idea, and I would not have been surprised if Smith half-assed it. He didn't. Each song actually has a different character. I can't even conceive of how he was able to accomplish such a ridiculous task. I also have no idea where to find all 200 songs, but he has released a Volume II of his project. For the 10-song "100 Records" Volume II: I Miss the James, Smith gets really bluesy and at times really weird. But overall, this album is full of soul. His style is reminiscent of a story-teller and as a result his songs sound a little folky, which adds a great touch to the album. Here's an interview of him describing his project with video of the gallery. It's actually pretty interesting to learn about his process and how he eventually completed the exhibit.
I give this album a 3.6/5. Favorite songs: Cabezas Cortades - Teenage Thugs, Prince Nedick & the Conks - Back in the Day, and Hank Champion - Broke Artist at the Turn of the Century.
Best, Jonathan
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